Texting While Driving: A Cause of Florida Car Accidents

The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles cites distracted driving as a principal reason for car accidents in the state. Texting while driving has become a dangerous type of driver distraction. While several states have laws that prohibit drivers from using a cellular phone to send or receive text messages, Florida does not have a similar ban. Not surprisingly, texting while driving is the cause of many accidents.

Florida Texting While Driving Legislation
Despite the efforts of some legislators, they have been unable to ban texting while driving. In fact, all of the bills-at least 13 related bills-introduced to the Senate or the House has died while in various committees. The 2009 House Bill 41, for instance, would have banned the use of a wireless communication device to text while operating a motor vehicle and would have penalized a driver by assessing points if the unlawful use of a cellular phone resulted in a car crash. Like the numerous other bills, this one died on April 30, 2010, while it was in the Finance and Tax Council.

Data Shows that Texting While Driving is a High Risk Activity
According to data compiled by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), texting while driving is more risky than all other cellular-related tasks. The VTTI found that tasks that took a driver's eyes off the road were riskier than others. According to the Institute, the use of a cellular phone increased the risk of being involved in a crash or near crash. The study revealed that drivers operating heavy vehicles and trucks were 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a non-distracted driver. This was because texting resulted in the longest amount of time-4.6 seconds over a 6-second interval-that a driver took his or her eyes off the road.

How to Improve Safety on the Road
According to the VTTI, the most effective way to improve highway safety is for drivers to keep their eyes on the road. The VTTI made the following recommendations based on its findings:

• A driver should avoid visual tasks, such as texting

• A texting ban should apply to all drivers, especially since it could create a crash epidemic as it grows in popularity

• Newly licensed teen drivers should be banned from cellular use since studies show that they are four times more likely to get into a crash than adults

You may be unsure how to handle your accident case. You may be wondering whether you should seek legal help. If you have sustained injuries in a Florida car accident, an injury lawyer at the West Palm Beach Law Offices of Craig Goldenfarb may be able to help you. Call 800-GOLD-LAW or 561-697-4440 to schedule a consultation.